THE INTERVIEW
 |
Dr. Leonard Fass
is Director Academics Relations at GE Healthcare Diagnostic Imaging, Coolidge House, 352 Buckingham Avenue, Slough SL1 4ER, UK, tel. +44 1753 874 000, e-mail: leonard.fass@med.ge.com www.gehealthcare.com. The company’s expertise includes medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, contrast agents, proteomics, patient monitoring systems, performance improvement and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies. |
If I wasn‘t talking to you right now, what would you be doing?
I would be preparing a health care related talk, developing academia/ industry research collaborations or reviewing a grant application for a funding agency.
How did you get into the industry?
I was asked by an ex-colleague of my head of department at Imperial College, London, UK, to join his research team at the 3M company in Italy that developed the first rare earth intensifying screens for X-ray imaging.
What is the best thing about your work?
The best aspect is being able to meet experts from around the world in order to build a vision of future applications of technology in health care.
What do you think is the most important medical device invention ever?
In my opinion, the X-ray tube was the most important invention because it opened up the whole field of biomedical imaging. The most important recent development in health care has been the use of information and computer technology for patient centric health care.
What should people take more notice of?
More attention should be given to evaluating the total cost of disease management including societal costs and how technology and early diagnosis and individualised treatment of disease can reduce these costs.
What is the most exciting development on the horizon?
The use of biomedical imaging to guide and monitor minimal or noninvasive targeted thermal therapy and locally activated drug delivery using nano-sized vectors.
What do you want from your suppliers?
The most important aspects are highest quality and reliability and the ability to work in partnership.
